Available via license: CC BY 4.0
Content may be subject to copyright.
96
APP| Published By AEIRC| https://doi.org/10.29052/2412-3188.v8.i2.2021.96-106
Ann. psychophysiol.
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online)|2410-1354
(Print)
Original Article
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude among
college students: Examining the positive
effect of gratitude intervention on subjective
well-being
Aisha Rais Ahmed1 & Saima Masoom2
1Muhammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi-Pakistan.
2University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan.
Abstract
Background: Positive psychological interventions (PPIs) is the premise that
focuses on how people can learn contentment and move toward Subjective well-
being (SWB). One of the well-known Positive psychological intervention strategies
is the gratitude intervention that challenges to evoke gratitude and helps produce
positive feelings. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the
implementation of 3 weeks gratitude meditation program and determine its effects
on SWB (spell out) measures. Also, it was observed whether or not the Gratitude
practice can improve the tendency to respond with a sense of gratitude itself.
Methodology: This Quasi-Experimental study included 160 students from 2
colleges in Karachi who were participating voluntarily in the gratitude meditation
program, conducted by investigators. All study subjects gave written informed
consent before proceeding further. The mean age of the study subjects was 15 to
20 years. A total of 80 male and 80 female students participate in this study. The
purposive non-probability sampling technique was used for recruiting the study
sample. Data were obtained using a brief demographic sheet, followed by pre-and
post-intervention measures, using the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form
(GQ-6), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and Satisfaction with Life
Scale (SWLS). Statistical analysis was conducted on SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive
analysis technique and paired-sample t-test applied for within-group comparison.
Results: The findings were highly significant with p< .001. The results showed a
significant difference between the mean scores of pre-and Post-intervention
conditions of SWB. Moreover, the participant's level of gratitude was increased by
experimental manipulation.
Conclusion: Cultivating gratitude significantly contributes to satisfaction and
positive outcomes in life, suggesting that gratitude training could be proposed as
a beneficial practice for increasing SWB.
Keywords
Positive Psychological Interventions, Gratitude Intervention, Subjective Well-
Being.
Citation: Ahmed AR, Masoom S.
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude among
college students: examining the positive
effect of gratitude intervention on
subjective well-being. APP. 2021; 8(2): 96-
106
Corresponding Author Email:
ahmed.aesh@gmail.com
DOI: 10.29052/2412-3188.v8.i2.2021.96-
106
Received 02/09/2021
Accepted 04/11/2021
Published 01/12/2021
Copyright © The Author(s). 2021 This
is an open-access article distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License,
which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author
and source are credited.
Funding: The author(s) received no
specific funding for this work.
Conflicts of Interests: The authors have
declared that no competing interests
exist.
97
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
Introduction
As health is not considered the absence of
disease, in the same way, gladness is also not
the absence of misery. To balance both
situations, contentment is needed to be
taught that can lay the foundation of the
welfare of human civilization1. In this
endeavor, Positive psychology rings a bell in
the world of the psyche. Moreover, they
compelled psychologists to shift their mental
health and well-being paradigm. Recently,
psychologists started emphasizing the need
to promote adolescents' well-being beyond
the current focus on reducing the symptom
since it is essential to mitigate pathology
whose absence is not possible from mental
health issues1.
Well-being is a term that comes to mind
when discussing positive mental health. In
the past few decades, the explosion of
research in well-being has turned the tide for
a good many terms persistently occur in the
literature and are used in several ways1.
Typically, psychologists have two eminent
traditions prevailing in the research field of
well-being. The first one is eudemonic
tradition, and the other practice is named
hedonistic2. The perspective of eudaimonia
stemmed from the Aristotelian philosophy.
Its roots are also in humanistic psychology,
which has been concerned with concepts
allied with positive human functioning3.
Therefore, the Hedonistic perspective that
emphasizes contentment is defined as the
presence of positive emotions or getting
contentment and the absence of negative
emotions or avoid discontentment. This
states that all and only pleasure is
intrinsically valuable, while all and only pain
is intrinsically unwanted. Thus, the term
"Hedonic" is linked with SWB. The
phenomenon of Hedonic includes two
components. The affective component is
related to positive or pleasant effects and the
absence of adverse effects.
The other is the cognitive component based
on satisfaction with life. Neugarten et al.
investigated that 'Life Satisfaction is a
successful aging component4. In contrast,
Sumner stated that Life satisfaction is a
positive appraisal of the conditions of life,
and it measures up positivity against
standards or expectations. Carruthers &
Hood specified that a person experiences joy
when both components are present5.
Whereas Diener proposed that SWB is
reflected when a person's life is worthwhile
and successfully moving toward a desirable
way6. It is considered subjective because one
can evaluate oneself on the degree of one's
experience and sense of wellness. SWB is
perceived through personality filters with
the cognitive and emotional judgment; it
implies a positive self-appraisal5,6. The
works on SWB have advanced speedily since
the emergence of the field. Undeniably,
continued work shows professionals'
consideration of the factors influencing SWB,
and research on this domain has been
booming worldwide.
At the current time, therapeutic intervention
plays a crucial role in achieving SWB.
Several researchers attempt to identify how
to enhance and boost the level of SWB rather
than what makes people distressing and
unhappy. In this exertion, the utilization of
the Positive Psychological Interventions
(PPIs) may be considered as a
complementary strategy for enhancing Well-
being. There are some significant groupings
under which these meditations practice is
divided that include: a) meaning, b)
gentleness, c) empathy, d) gratitude, e)
strengths, f), hope and g) savoring7. These
classes are markedly beneficial, but the
gratitude practice validates the significant
effects. It has been considered the most
effective and sensational technique of the
PPIs8,9 and clinically applicable as well10.
Furthermore, it challenged to evoke the
feeling of gratitude and promotes SWB8,9. It
98
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
has been confirmed that gratitude is one of
the influential character strengths,
enhancing SWB in youth11 that is now
getting attention in scientific research12,13.
Gratitude has been theorized as an emotion,
approach, amoral, a custom, a personality
attribute, or a coping strategy. The word
gratitude is derived from the Latin origin
"gratia," which means "grace,"
"graciousness," or "gratefulness." All roots
from this Latin source emphasize the
principle of "have to do with humanity,
kindness, contributions, the majesty of
giving and receiving, or getting something
for nothing"14.
Whether the gratitude trait can be inculcated
therapeutically in our society arises.
Seligman et al. stated that assuredly, it can
and comes under the considerable
accomplishment of positive psychology
advancement9. Furthermore, in clinical
psychology, gratitude is considered a
significant tactics10,15. Besides, it can induce
PPIs to increase people's SWB. Sin &
Lyubomirsky suggest that gratitude practice
reproduces thoughtful healing methods
intended to expand positive moods,
perceptions, and behavior in an individual16.
Hence, this therapeutic meditation promotes
positivity in people that is considered a vital
essence in life, whether in terms of attaining
mental health or coping with the adverse
events and moods they might experience17.
Emmons & McCullough are considered the
pioneer of this gratitude meditation program
and are working toward the efficacy of
gratitude meditations, including SWB and
other aspects of human welfare as well18.
Countless researches proposed that
gratitude meditation can have long-term
positive effects on a person's life. It is evident
in the literature that gratitude interventions
in adolescence may boost and maintain
positive benefits and leads to more
tremendous gratitude, life satisfaction18,
positive affects12,19, and SWB9,20, conversely
reducing the negative mood9,19. Another
study challenged to evoke the feeling of
gratitude for producing positive events or
feelings in one's life and ultimately
enhancing the level of SWB21. Likewise,
Watkins et al. conducted an experiment that
revealed that thankful thought is a mood
booster and is associated with a different
facet of well-being such as subjective, social,
physical, and psychological19.
At the same time, there is substantial
agreement among investigators that the
accurate scales of SWB22 can assess
contentment and pleasure. The first is the
Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)
developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, &
Griffin23 and can also be used to measure the
cognitive side. In contrast, the affective facet
of the second one is the Positive and
Negative Affect Schedule24. These two
frequently used measures are considered
reliable and valid scales that can portray an
individual SWB. Supplementary, SWLS
gauges the cognitive factor of SWB, while
PANAS assesses the emotional factors.
Although the Gratitude technique is a
research-based intervention18, the
participants are regularly engaged in a task
designed to cultivate a sense of gratefulness.
Besides, these tasks contained quick and
easy activities that can enhance positive
affect, pleasure25 and life satisfaction and
decreased NA26. In this notion, the
individuals first cultivate the gratitude
internally and then express it in a
handwritten letter or verbally27.
Undoubtedly, people seem to enjoy the
gratitude intervention, and evidence has
suggested that respondents are more likely
to remain in an intervention and home
assignments that allocate to them28. The
homework usually entails counting
blessings, listing things one is grateful for,
99
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
maintaining a gratitude journal, expressing
gratitude, letter writing, etc. The discipline
of gratitude intervention has advanced
rapidly in the European countries, but the
scarcity of this intrusion remained
unprogressive in our culture. So, it is time to
take a step forward to teach gratitude
interventions to promote SWB, especially in
adolescents and adults.
The Gratitude meditation program mainly
engrosses individuals to reminiscence the
past events and recall the blessing that may
persuade and boost gratitude. To
summarize, the exploration mentioned
above has recommended that gratitude
intervention produces several positive
outcomes and enhances SWB. Therefore, the
central focus of the present study is to
examine the effect of the Gratitude
meditation program and see if it shows
positive effects on measures of SWB on the
sample of college students. It is suggested
that study participants would have exposed
an increase in dispositional gratitude
immediately following the experimental
manipulation.
Methodology
Quantitative research was conducted using
the Quasi-Experimental designs within the
groups of college students from two
different colleges in Karachi, participating
voluntarily in the gratitude meditation
program.
Participants
Indeed, mental health problems are a
significant public health concern for all ages,
especially adolescents. Typically, the
majority of mental disorders first emerge in
this period. So, there is a strong need to
improve their well-being to prevent
disorder. Thereby it was most desirable to
recruit students from the college. The sample
consisted of 160 participants voluntarily
participating in the gratitude meditation
program. The age of the study participants
ranged from 15-20 years and was employed
from two colleges of Karachi in
approximately equal proportions. The
sample was divided into two groups
regarding college, 80 students from Sir Syed
Govt College and 80 from Army Public
College, Saddar. All study participants were
given informed consent before any gratitude
meditation intervention.
A total of 207 students were taken as
additional participants to compensate the
questionnaires with errors or absentees of
students in the remaining sessions. Students
who did not take all sessions of the program
or those who did come to take training after
getting enrolled in the program were
excluded. A purposive non-probability
sampling technique was used as the
recruiting strategy for the study sample
(Figure 1). The primary health care
population does not have any psychiatric
severe condition at baseline. The inclusion
criterion involved reading and writing
English to give informed consent and filling
pre and post-measures. A total of 80 males
and 80 females students participate in this
study.
Measures
Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form (GQ-
6)29:
This scale is designed to evaluate the
proneness to experience gratitude in daily
life. The responses of item measures are
based on a 7-point Likert-style response
scale, where participants rate their level of
agreement on each item ranging from 1 =
strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree).
There was a reverse scoring for items 3 and 6
to get the total sum, and that was our total
GQ-6 score. The range of scoring was
between 6 and 42. McCullough et al.
reported the GQ-6 to have high internal
consistency, with Cronbach's alpha 0.7729.
100
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
Figure 1: Flow chart for Data Collection
Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS)23:
The instrument design measures the
universal cognitive gauging of satisfaction
with one's life. It is a brief questionnaire that
contained only five items measured by a 7-
point Likert-type scale. The probable range
Enrolment
Assessed for eligibility
(n= 207)
Randomized
(n= 160)
Excluded (n= 47)
Sir Syed Girls College,
Karachi
Army Public College,
Saddar Karachi
Sample approach
(n= 101)
Sample approach
(n=106)
Sample taken 1st
Session (n= 99)
llege, Karachi
Sample taken 1st
Session (n= 103)
Sample taken all
session (n= 94)
Sample taken all
session (n= 92)
Pre-test
Pre-test
Questionnaires meet
the criteria (n=87)
Questionnaires meet
the criteria (n=85)
(n= 85)
Final sample size
(n=80)
(n=87)
Final sample size
(n=80)
(n=87)
Analysis
101
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
of scoring is 5-35, and a score of 20 indicates
a neutral point on the scale. Diener et al.
found SWLS to have favorable psychometric
properties with the 0.87 coefficient alpha and
2 -month test-retest stability coefficient of
0.82, whereas Factor analysis of the SWLS
suggests it unidimensional23.
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
(PANAS)24:
Participants are requested to ask whether
they generally feel this way (a certain way)
using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from
very slightly (score 1) to significantly (score
5). The scale contains two scales- Positive
Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). PA
assesses ten emotion adjectives (e.g., excited,
interested, and alert), and NA judges ten
negative emotion adjectives (e.g., distressed,
hostile, scared). The score range for both
scales (PA and NA) ranges from 10-50,
respectively. The PANAS scale seems to be a
reliable measure and acquires both
convergent and discriminant validity with
high internal consistency and Cronbach's
alphas ranging from 0.84 to 0.88.
Procedure
The three weeks' interventions consisted of
three workshops or sessions. Each session is
to be conducted weekly with one and half-
hour of duration. Participants are supposed
to administer Pre and Post-intervention
measures of SWB.
The three-week Gratitude meditation
program for improving SWB among college
students is provided in Table 1.
Table 1: 3 weeks Gratitude meditation program for improving SWB
Sessions
Theme
Interventions
1st session
Awakening the heart to
gratitude daily
• Grateful seeing
• Breath of thanks
• Maintain gratitude journal
• Praying for gratitude (Religious ritual)
2nd session
Grateful contemplation
• Counting blessings
• Living gratefully
• Sharing gratitude
• Help someone less fortunate
3rd session
Behavioral expressions
of gratitude
• Giving thanks
• Gratitude prompts
• Write a gratitude letter to a loved one
• Gratitude Quotes
Further, the researcher explained the
relevance of the study and then distributed
questionnaires with a demographic section,
where they were inquired about the age,
education, and date of the test
administration. Additionally, they were
asked about any concerns regarding the
study and taking further sessions. Though,
after getting active participants' conformity
with an explanation of the purpose and
procedure of the study, pre-intervention
measures were administered.
PowerPoint slides were prepared for visual
presentation in each session separately. And
a gratitude booklet (designed by the study
researcher) was also provided to each
participant before starting the session; the
material of the booklet was connected to a
variety of gratitude exercises and homework
102
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
sheets, and those were also conducted
throughout the whole sessions. As
mentioned earlier, students from both
colleges were assessed at two time points,
three weeks apart: (a) Pre-test (before the
intervention); (b) Post-test (instantly after
intervention). All participants were reported
for the next session. The results were
analyzed on the Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS) to clarify the results'
pattern and compute the mean.
Result
According to demographics, most of the
participants were 17 to 18 years old (69.73%)
and studying in XII year (53.75%) (Table 2).
Table 2: Demographic characteristics of the study population.
Variable
N(%)
Level of Education
XI year
74(46.25)
XII year
86(53.75)
Gender
Male
80(50)
Female
80(50)
Age
15-16 years
42(26.25)
17-18 years
111(69.37)
19-20 years
07(4.37)
Results also show that the dispositional gratitude mean scores differed at the end of the
intervention. Although significant differences were found before the Gratitude meditation
program (28.10 ± 0.48) and after intervention (32.01 ± 0.46), with respect to the Gratitude variable
shows statistically significant outcomes (t = 10.58, p=0.000). Moreover, other findings also yielded
significant outcomes. A statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the
Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affects before and after the application of
Gratitude interventions was also found. It has been observed that there are considerable increases
in the scores of satisfaction with life scale and positive effects while expressing the noticeable
decrease in Negative Affectivity from Day 1 (pre-intervention Assessment) to Day 21 (post-
intervention Assessment).
However, the mean score of Satisfaction with Life presents a significant difference at the prior
(19.43 ± 0.45) and after intervention (23.68 ± 0.43), (t = 11.17, p=0.000). While observing the
Positive effects variable, the score is meaningfully different on the initial intervention phase (30.73
± 0.58) as compared to the post-intervention (36.91 ± 0.54) phase and shows statistically significant
results (t=11.87, p=0.000). Hence, there is a substantial decrease in the Negative effects mean
scores from pre-test (28.58 ± 0.57) to post-test (22.09 ± 0.45), yet the results show statistical
significance (t=-12.644, p = 0.000) (Table 3).
Table 3: Effect of Gratitude practice on dispositional gratitude & SWB measures.
Variables
Pre-Intervention
Post-Intervention
p-value
Gratitude
28.10±0.48
32.01±0.46
0.000
SWB Measures
Satisfaction with life
19.43±0.45
23.68±0.43
0.000
Positive Effects
30.73±0.58
36.91±0.54
0.000
103
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
Negative Effects
28.58±0.57
22.09±0.45
0.000
Discussion
In the present study, the inclusive goal is to
check out and investigate the proficiency of
the Gratitude Meditation Program on
dispositional gratitude and SWB from Day-
one to Day twenty-one (3 weeks program).
The program consisted of three workshops
scheduled weekly basis on the availability of
college students. The workshops examine
whether or not the gratitude exercises
successfully bring benefits to their
respondents. In addition, the importance
given to serving others among a
representative sample of the population of
Colleges was also observed.
Recent research suggests that gratitude
intervention is one of the best techniques and
working gadget of PPIs and have shown
positive results on measures of SWB and
dispositional gratitude itself. This
intervention is not only effective but easy to
administer as well. Besides, a large number
of researches and literature have been
examined to investigate the benefits of this
practice and intervention. In his book "Seven
Laws of Spiritual Success," George Herbert
says that a heart filled with gratitude and
seeing for good is the most valuable thing
that one possesses30. An individual who
experiences gratitude demonstrates more
resilience and can deal successfully with
everyday problems, and eventually attain a
high SWB11,21.
In the current study, to enhance the SWB, the
researcher instructed the respondents to
continue their gratitude practice for 3-week.
However, the question that arises here is
why three weeks? Because it comprises 21
days and the great body of evidence
suggested that it takes 21 days to form a new
habit fully. In the old ages, Maxwell Maltz31
published a book recognized as Psycho-
Cybernetics, in which he stated that people
take 21 days to fine-tune or stay at its
required level after any major life change31.
A study shows that the investigator advised
the respondents to continue their gratitude
practices for 21 days in order to internalize
gratitude as a new habit completely. So that
it becomes employed over time and gets
sustained, leading to continual well-being
throughout life. Subsequently, a significant
change was observed after 21 days as
compared to starting day21.
Although, it has been observed that
cultivating an attitude of gratitude exhibited
conceivable outcomes. Besides that, it is also
observed that while the respondent
practiced gratitude, its impacts on his or her
dispositional gratitude revealed significant
increases in the level of gratitude post-
intervention. Undoubtedly, the influence of
gratitude meditation is associated with the
paradigm of gratitude itself and may induce
intensely with the help of other therapeutic
techniques21. This means an analyst can
imply and intervene in the methods to
nurture the individual to promote grateful
habits that could possibly lead to the
amplified character of gratefulness.
Conclusively, the feeling of thankfulness is
created immediately after the grateful
thought, and continuous practice of
gratitude techniques helps in raising
dispositional gratitude32.
On the other hand, a significant body of
experiential research on gratitude
intervention verified that it is an influencing
intervention for enhancing SWB.
Undoubtedly, gratitude intervention is
considered as the vigorous executive for
human booming33,34. Furthermore, can be
one of the essential ingredients of becoming
happier35. Furthermore, the current paper
verified the beneficial effect of gratitude
104
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
training on SWB. The respondents' Post-
intervention scores were significantly higher
as compared to the pre-test, concerning all
domains of the SWB.
In the present study, researchers primarily
put efforts toward raising awareness about
what valuable things they have, alongside
general positive events or things that are
regularly happening, but we take for granted
and do not even consider them.
Subsequently taking and attending gratitude
exercise sessions, individuals start to notice
those events and sources they never
observed before. However, studies suggest
that contentment and pleasure are partial
until an individual expresses gratitude
toward the source of the joy32. The feeling of
gratitude experiences starts to process when
one starts to notice the occurrences of
positive events36. To exam the impact of
gratitude intervention on SWB, different
techniques were used successfully like
Count Blessing, Maintain Gratitude Journal,
Behaviour Expression, Letter writing,
gratitude Quotes, prompts, etc. These all
exercises were included in a gratitude
booklet designed by the researcher and were
given to each participant before the session
started.
The key outcomes that emerged from this
study are that gratitude meditation is very
effective in boosting satisfaction with life
and positive effects, while substantial
dropping in Negative scores (Show in Table
3), along with the significant difference of the
mean scores between the pre-and post-
intervention for all measures were observed.
That ultimately facilitates the participant's
SWB. These findings are also congruent with
Watkin's22 analysis and Emmons's21
findings. An experimental study conducted
by Seligmanet et al.12 and Froh et al.,37
revealed that grateful feeling leads to
increased positive effects and satisfaction
with life and a reduction in adverse effects.
These results can also be linked with the
study of Fredrickson et al.38, who
recommend that positive effects are
enhanced due to positive emotions like
gratitude.
Impartially a simple practice of gratitude is
suggested to have numerous benefits along
with improving well-being. It performs a
vital role in mental, emotional, and physical
health throughout life. A study conducted
by Emmons & McCullough21 suggests that
those college students who were keeping
gratitude journal practice more regularly
were observed highly satisfied with their
lives, had fewer adverse effects, and were
more hopeful about the future as compared
to a neutral life event or hassles condition21.
Again, in their second study, they observed
that students who participated in journal-
keeping exercises daily were more likely to
be attentive, enthusiastic, and strong-
minded compared to the hassles or social
comparison condition21. They replicated the
study to find out the results in adults with
neuromuscular diseases. The patients were
assessed through the self-report measures
that show that patients in the grateful
condition tend to have a high score on
positive effects and satisfaction with life. The
results also evidence that those people who
are grateful are more likely to experience
positive emotions, such as happiness,
optimism, and contentment, along with less
damaging emotions22. As both SWB
measures (life satisfaction and positive and
negative effects schedule) were amplified in
post-intervention, the increasing rate of the
mean was statistically significant, suggesting
that the intervention was very beneficial and
effective for hedonic well-being.
Moreover, it is suggested that continued
investigation in gratitude intervention can
exhibit credible results and demonstrate that
gratitude influences SWB. Unfortunately,
little research work has been done in this
105
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
area and the field of gratitude meditation
and SWB in Pakistan. Therefore, more
interventional studies and work are
suggested to be done on different sample
sizes and statuses to determine the relevancy
of PPIs and their effectiveness.
Conclusion
The current study provided evidence that
gratitude meditation is a dynamic healing
way, influencing the SWB in the sample of
college students. The results conclude that
gratitude meditation and exercises are
among the best approaches to boost an
individual's SWB and are considered the
most successful PPIs. Moreover, this
intervention has increased the level of
gratitude itself. Therefore, one cannot ignore
that the future of psychology would be
lodging to build character strengths, and
gratitude can accelerate this idea into a
reality. In upcoming psychology, when a
client goes to take a session, he/she may talk
about his strengths instead of troubles.
Acknowledgment
We wish to acknowledge every study
participant who voluntarily contributed to
taking part in the project.
References
1. Rehman N. Dealing with the psychosocial
and spiritual aspects in palliative care. APP.
2018;5:54-58.
2. Ryan RM, Deci EL. On happiness and human
potentials: A review of research on hedonic
and eudaimonic well-being. Annu Rev
Psychol. 2001;52:141-166.
3. Ryff CD. Happiness is everything, or is it?
Explorations on the meaning of
psychological well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol.
1989a;57:1069-1108.
4. Neugarten BL, Havighurst RJ, Tobin SS. The
measurement of life satisfaction. J Gerontol.
1961;16:134-143.
5. Carruthers CP, Hood CD. The power of the
positive: Leisure and well-being. Ther
Recreation J. 2004;38(2):225-245.
6. Diener E. Assessing subjective well-being:
Progress and opportunities. Assessing well-
being. 2009;31(2):25-65.
7. Botvin GJ, Griffin KW. APA Handbook of
Clinical Psychology: Applications and
Methods. APA Handbooks in Psychology.
Am Psychol Assoc. 2016:485-509.
8. Bono G, Emmons RA, McCullough ME.
Gratitude in practice and the practice of
gratitude. Positive psychology in practice.
2004;464:481.
9. Seligman ME, Steen TA, Park N, Peterson C.
Positive psychology progress: empirical
validation of interventions. Am Psychol.
2005;60(5):410-421.
10. Seligman ME, Rashid T, Parks AC. Positive
psychotherapy. Am Psychol. 2006;61:774-
788.
11. Park N, Peterson C. Character strengths:
Research and practice. J College and
Character. 2009;4:1-10.
12. Emmons RA. Words of gratitude mind body
& soul. Templeton Foundation Press.
2008;2008.
13. Lesowitz N. Living life as a thank you: The
transformative power of daily gratitude.
ReadHowYouWant. Com. 2010;2010.
14. Pruyser PW. The minister as diagnostician:
Personal problems in pastoral perspective.
Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1976.
15. Duckworth AL, Steen TA, Seligman MEP.
Positive Psychology in clinical practice. J Res
Pers. 2005;47(6):795.
16. Sin NL, Della Porta MD, Lyubomirsky SO.
Tailoring positive psychology interventions
to treat depressed individuals. Appl Posit
Psychol. 2011;79:96.
17. Park N, Peterson C. Moral competence and
character strengths among adolescents: The
development and validation of the Values in
Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth. J.
Adolesc. 2006;29:891-905.
18. Emmons RA, McCullough ME. Counting
blessings versus burdens: An experimental
investigation of gratitude and subjective
well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol.
2003;84:377-389.
19. Watkins PC, Woodward K, Stone T, Kolts RL.
Gratitude and happiness: Development of a
106
ISSN 2412-3188 (Online) | 2410-1354
(Print)
APP| Published By AEIRC| Volume 8 Issue 2
measure of gratitude and relationships with
subjective well-being. Soc Behav Pers.
2003;31:431-452.
20. Lyubomirsky S, Sheldon KM, Schkade D.
Pursuing happiness: The architecture of
sustainable change. Rev Gen Psychol.
2005;9(2):111–131.
21. Schueller SM, Parks AC. The science of self-
help: Translating positive psychology
research into increased individual happiness.
Eur. Psychol. 2014;19:145-155.
22. Diener E, Lucas RE. Subjective emotional
well-being. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland-
Jones (Eds.), Handbook of emotions.
2000:325-337.
23. Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S.
The Satisfaction with Life Scale. J Pers Assess.
1985;49:71-75.
24. Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A.
Development and validation of brief
measures of positive and negative affect: the
PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol.
1988;54(6):1063.
25. Martínez ML, Avia MD, Hernández MJ. The
effects of counting blessings on subjective
well-being: A gratitude intervention in a
Spanish sample. Span J Psychol.
2010;13(2):886-896.
26. Chan DW. Gratitude, gratitude intervention,
and subjective well-being among Chinese
school teachers in Hong Kong. Educ Psychol.
2010;30(2):139-153.
27. Froh JJ, Sefick WJ, Emmons RA. Counting
blessings in early adolescents: An
experimental study of gratitude and
subjective well-being. J School Psychol.
2008;46(2):213-233.
28. Geraghty AW, Wood AM, Hyland ME.
Attrition from self-directed interventions:
Investigating the relationship between
psychological predictors, intervention
content and dropout from a body
dissatisfaction intervention. Soc Sci Med.
2010;71(1):30-7.
29. McCullough ME, Emmons RA, Tsang JA.
The grateful disposition: a conceptual and
empirical topography. J Pers Soc Psychol.
2002;82(1):112-127.
30. McCullough ME, Kilpatrick SD, Emmons
RA, Larson DB. Is gratitude a moral affect?.
Psychol Bulletin. 2001;127(2):249-266.
31. Maltz M. Psycho-Cybernetics. 1960;1960.
32. Watkins PC, Emmons RA, McCullough ME.
Gratitude and subjective well-being.
2004;2004:167-192.
33. Polak E. Gratitude, materialism, and well-
being. J Happiness Stud. 2005;7:343.
34. Wood AM, Froh JJ, Geraghty AW. Gratitude
and well-being: A review and theoretical
integration. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;1-16.
35. Sheldon KM, Lyubomirsky S. How to
increase and sustain positive emotion: The
effects of expressing gratitude and
visualizing best possible selves. J Posit
Psychol. 2006;1(2):73-82.
36. Langston CA. Capitalizing on and coping
with daily-life events: Expressive responses
to positive events. J Pers Soc Psychol.
1994;67(6):1112–1125.
37. Froh, JF, Sefick WJ, Emmons RA. Counting
blessings in early adolescents: An
experimental study of gratitude and
subjective well-being. J Sch Psychol.
2008;46:213.
38. Fredrickson BL, Tugade MM, Waugh CE,
Larkin GR. What good are positive emotions
in crises? A prospective study of resilience
and emotions following the terrorist attacks
on the united states on September 11th, 2001.
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;84(2):365-376.
